One thing that I have always wanted to see the iPhone capable of doing is accepting a connection to a wireless bluetooth keyboard. With Apple's newest line of keyboards being so small, and a plethora of other foldable, travel-friendly keyboards available on the market, it just seems incredibly ideal to be able to use a keyboard on the go for taking notes or writing emails at meetings or at a local coffee shop (might look kinda silly but it gets the job done faster). This isn't anything new, as almost all smartphones already have this capability.

The Bluetooth Keyboard Driver, just released in Cydia, fills this void for jailbroken iPhone users. The App is based on the open-source BTstack project, which also brought us the Wii Mote to work with apps like emulators. This driver runs on all iDevices with Bluetooth support. It is unclear yet, if it works properly on the iPhone 2G. The current version available in Cydia is titled as a "Demo", as it only works inside the app itself, but don't fret for the developer says a version that works outside of the app (in the background/with other apps) and in Cydia "soon".
Official Page: http://keyboard.ringwald.ch
Usage: iPhone Bluetooth Keyboard Driver


via mmi

Hey Guys,

I've been waiting a long time for this, thanks to all involved.

I have a Nokia SU-8W Bluetooth Keyboard which is discoverable by the Bluetooth Demo software, asks for the PIN and appears to connect. However when I type in the box, no characters appear.

The Bluetooth icon on my iPhone (3GS) also remains red.

Any idea if this software is compatable with my keyboard ?

Cheers,
Herc.

Hello guys, I reviewed the app with the Apple iPhone:



Things you will need:

• IPhone (jailbroken)
• Compatible keyboard
• Amazon.com Account or PayPal
• $5- $100 (depends if you have a wireless keyboard already or not)

First, you might be asking why would anyone want to equip an external keyboard to the iPhone? Alternatives include just using the virtual keyboard of the Apple iPhone and not bother with jailbreaking (yes, you must jailbreak to install this app and use the Bluetooth Keyboard). Another alternative is to bring a netbook or laptop with you in case you need to type a lot. However, I find the Bluetooth keyboard paired with the iPhone a very good match and is a cheap, easy midway of the two alternatives.

1. Just using the virtual keyboard provided by Apple. This is probably good enough for most people. The keyboard is enough because the iPhone is used for things like web searching and texting, things that don’t take a lot of time and typing. But let’s say you want to do more. You want to write essays, paragraphs, notes, or blogs. Then this is perfect on the go. Taking my iPhone is rudimentary, I take it everywhere.

2. Take a netbook if you want to write! This is a valid argument as well. However, I am not willing to take my netbook everywhere (mostly because I don’t have one) or my laptop. It is heavier and more expensive than taking the $74 (with tax) keyboard and my phone. Any laptop or netbook will cost more to repair if I dropped it or spilled my drink on it.

3. Why I would take a laptop or netbook: I would love to take just my iPhone and keyboard to take notes. Unfortunately, I get bored really easily and have to be constantly reading or searching the Internet. Therefore, if you get distracted easily, you probably want to take your laptop.

4. Why I would take a laptop or netbook: You want spell-check or are bugged by the iPhone’s automatic grammar corrector. This isn’t a huge problem for me because I later send the file to my computer and read through, spell check, etc.

I would probably use the wireless keyboard and iPhone combination more than I use my laptop for note taking or writing when I travel or am on the go. For example, if I am going to go anywhere, I can just pack the keyboard and my phone. I will be able to write just incase I don’t have anything to do or have sudden inspiration. If you are on a bus, train, or are a passenger in a car, you might want to consider the keyboard option, because unless you have Internet through cellular or WiFi, your laptop becomes a screen and keyboard anyways. With a laptop, even fast ones, you have to boot up and wait. The keyboard pairing is fast and easy enough. I’m starting to throw the keyboard in my backpack or leaving it in my car trunk, just in case.

So back to the process. This is what I did:

1. I jailbroke my phone. I used blacksn0w.com and it was one of the easiest jailbreaks I have ever done. You just download, open the application, connect your phone, and just like that, you are done! You will be prompted to install some things, I chose Cydia so I can download the BTStack keyboard app.

2. I played around with the applications, of course, getting a bunch I thought I needed. Then I finally sat and got the BTStack keyboard for iPhone. The download cost $5.

3. I connected with Facebook, so that If I switched devices, I don’t have to pay for the $5 again.

4. Cydia installer then prompts you to connect with to pay for the app or use PayPal to install the app. The PayPal method costs .25 cents more, bringing your total to $5.25 using that method. I had an account so I used that.

5. Cydia asks you to restart springboard (do so). Don’t be afraid of the scary computer/matrix text, it goes away fast


6.I went to buy the Bluetooth keyboard at Bestbuy. Since they couldn’t help me find any of the other keyboards, I went with the apple wireless keyboard. It was 69.99 and with tax a little more $74 dollars.

7. Pairing was as easy as unwrapping the packaging and pressing the power button on the side, then opening the application. It will search for the keyboards nearby. Your keyboard will show up. Tap its name to begin connecting.

8. Type in the code the application gives you. Mine was 3097 (yours will be different) and then I pressed return/enter.

9. And now I’m writing this post in the notes section of the iPhone! Later, I will sync or e-mail myself so I can post on collegar.com


I am now able to type with the keyboard and the screen keeps up with the typing. Pairing does take some time, but I think it will get better over time as the developers configure their product better. So should you buy it? Well, if you are going to do some serious writing, then yes. But if you just want to toy around with the application and the coolness of Bluetooth, I wouldn’t suggest going out to buy the keyboard and app. I bought the Apple Wireless Keyboard because it is an Apple product, in that if Apple turns around and lets you connect to keyboards via Bluetooth without jailbreaking, it will probably be their own keyboard that is supported. In all great app by the developers!

Problems: the second time I tried to work with the keyboard, the application took a long time to connect. It took so long that the keyboard timed out and shut itself off. If this happens, just restart your device and everything should be fine. I’ll update more if I run into anything else. Other little things include not being able to use CMD + S for saving or other shortcuts I would normally use on a laptop. This isn’t the app’s fault, however, just I am used to using those functions when on a keyboard!

The battery usage: I charged my phone completely when using the Bluetooth. I am leaving it on for a while to see the drainage. I am running 3G on AT&T as well as Bluetooth and my screen brightness is average. Update: started at 6:19 pm and it is now 6:39 pm. For 20 minutes of leaving my screen on, having 3G as well as Bluetooth activated, and using background applications, I only used 6% of my iPhone battery. Is this good? Well, yes. I left the phone screen on because usually you want it on when you are typing. I did not use the keyboard too much and did not switch applications or use the Internet. I would suggest bringing your phone charger just in case you do need to charge. It is small and very portable, unlike those awkward cables for your computer. I cannot say for the apple wireless keyboard’s battery itself, because there are no measures. Hopefully it works out well as they claim, and it is really only two AA batteries. I will get the rechargeable AA.

Check out BT Stack’s Official Page for more information as well as a list of compatible keyboards.